Harry Potter and the Marriage Act
by jiddu.watts
Summary: AU. The war has ended. Harry and co. have moved on from the war and from each other. But Magical Britain is on the verge of collapse as the population level has become unsustainable. To prevent this, the Wizengamot enacts a Marriage Act. Successful!rich!Harry, friend!Draco, friend!Neville, many girls.
1. The Marriage Act

**THE Marriage (Pure-Blood, Half-Blood and Muggle-Born) Act 2001**

An Act to establish the Department of Marriage and to amend the Marriage Act of 1753 following the decline in magical population after the Civil Wars of 1979 and 1995.

[1 July 2001]

**Part 1**

**Amendments to the Marriage Act of 1753**

**1. Single witches over seventeen**

A witch over the age of seventeen and under the age of forty commits a 'Section 1 offence' if she remains unmarried, or otherwise attached, to an acceptable wizard, without a lawful exemption as permitted by the provisions of this Act.

**2. Exemption of witches**

A witch may appeal to the Department of Marriage, established in Part 2 of this Act, for exemption from a Section 1 offence, if she –

(1) enters into a binding betrothal or similar arrangement with an acceptable wizard unable to marry her until a later date, with a full disclosure of reasons for this delay, or

(2) has entered into, before the commencement of this Act on 31 October 2001, a binding obligation to a notable cause that prevents her from marriage.

**3. Single witches: Assistance**

A person commits a 'Section 3 offence' if he knowingly assists, directly or indirectly, in effect or with the potential to have the effect of, actually or in attempt, to aid, abet, counsel or procure a Section 1 offence.

**4. Penalty**

(1) A witch guilty of a Section 1 offence shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine up to ten thousand galleons and will be kept in the custody of the Department of Marriage until a Section 6 claim is made on her.

(2) A person guilty of a Section 3 offence shall be liable for conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

**5. Acceptability of wizards**

(1) The Department of Marriage, established in Part 2 of this Act, will provide every wizard with a status rating to indicate his acceptability as a match to a witch. The status rating will incorporate two elements into it, namely –

(a) Blood rating

(b) Desirability rating

(2) The purpose of the Blood rating is to minimise the probability of squib births, and will be done as follows –

(a) A Muggle-Born witch may marry, or otherwise attach herself, to a Pure-Blood or a Half-Blood wizard of age but no more than seven years older than the witch in question.

(b) A Pure-Blood witch may marry, or otherwise attach herself, to a Muggle-Born or a Half-Blood wizard of age but no more than seven years older than the witch in question.

(c) A Half-Blood witch may marry, or otherwise attach herself, to a Pure-Blood or a Half-Blood wizard of age but no more than seven years older than the witch in question.

(3) The purpose of the Desirability rating is to provide guidance for witches to determine the suitability of a wizard and to prevent an abuse of Section 6 claims. In its discretion to form Desirability ratings, the Department of Marriage will have regard, amongst other matters, to –

(a) Past criminal records of the wizard

(b) Financial stability of the wizard

(c) Future prospects of the wizard

(d) Any relevant contributions to the wizarding world in general

(4) A witch may appeal to the Department of Marriage to marry a wizard that has been deemed unacceptable for her, and in most cases, barring the Blood restriction, be guaranteed the right to fair hearing before the Department of Marriage.

**6. Right to claim**

(1) A 'Section 6 claim' is the right of wizards with the highest Desirability ratings to claim for the purpose of marriage, or otherwise attachment, any witch guilty of a Section 1 offence.

(2) A Section 6 claim may only be made on a witch who has been served with at least one informal warning and one formal Section 1 liability notice by the Department of Marriage.

(3) The Department of Marriage will resolve all disputes in cases of multiple claimants, and in all cases, a witch has the right to fair hearing before the Department of Marriage.

**7. Definition of marriage or otherwise attachment**

(1) A witch may marry a wizard and obtain the status of a 'wife' as under the Marriage Act of 1753.

(2) A witch may marry a wizard with multiple hereditary titles and be attached to a specific title, with the status of a 'consort', as was repealed under the Marriage Act of 1753, and is being brought back by the express provisions of this Act.

(3) A witch may be attached to wizards with the highest Desirability ratings, with the status of a 'concubine' as was repealed under the Marriage Act of 1753, and is being brought back by the express provisions of this Act.

**Part 2**

**The Department of Marriage**

**1. Guiding Principles**

(1) Following the Purity Wars of 1980 and 1997, the population of Magical Britain has dropped drastically from 120,105 in 1979 to 65,002 in 1989 to 10,198 in 1999. Expert determination predicts that, with migration, unfavourable demographics and squib births, this number may fall below 2,000 in 2009 and shows that the existence of Magical Britain is at risk unless all witches of child-bearing age give birth.

(2) It is also imperative that maximum number of children born to witches be magical. Squib births are more prevalent in cases of high inter-breeding or when both parents are Muggle-Borns. Therefore, experts have determined that Pureblood witches should be matched with Half-Blood or Muggle-Born wizards, while Muggle-Born witches should be matched with Half-Blood of Pureblood wizards.

(3) It is also noted that old Pureblood titles and estates must be conserved. Therefore, to prevent dilution of titles and estates, the old system of consorts and concubines are being restored.

(4) It is noted without reservation that despite our desperate need, witches should be protected. Therefore, the Marriage Tribunal should be comprised of an entirely independent and impartial group of individuals.

**2. The Department of Marriage**

(1) The Department of Marriage will be constituted as part of the Ministry of Magic in the following manner:

(a) The current Senior-Undersecretary and Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will act as co-Directors of the Department of Marriage;

(b) The Department of Marriage will have three sub divisions – the Marriage Registry, the Ratings Division and the Marriage Tribunal;

(c) The Marriage Registry will keep records of each witch and each wizard in Magical Britain showing, among other things, their age, titles, spouses and any Section 6 Claims made or being subject to;

(d) The Ratings Division will produce a system of ratings in line with the objectives set out in the Guiding Principles to determine whether a wizard is desirable and also to put a cap on the number of Section 6 Claims a wizard may make; and

(e) The co-Directors of the Department of Marriage may appoint the personnel operating the Marriage Registry and the Ratings Division.

(2) The Marriage Tribunal will comprise as follows:

(a) There will be a pool of five judges, three of which will preside over any hearing;

(b) The decision of the Tribunal will be the majority decision of the three presiding judges, and it will be binding, and it shall have no recourse to further appeal;

(c) The judges may not have any current ties to the Ministry of Magic or the Wizengamot in order to ensure their independence and impartiality;

(d) At least two judges in the pool of five should be witches; and

(e) Any employee of the Ministry of Magic may recommend a judge and the co-Directors will choose the five best suited to the position and the appointments may be challenged in the Wizengamot courts by any member of the public.

**3. Review by the Senior-Undersecretary**

(1) There will be a review by the Senior-Undersecretary every four years from the date of enactment of this Act as to whether the Guiding Principles are still applicable and there is a need to continue with this Act. If the Senior-Undersecretary deems this Act no longer necessary, then this Act will be dissolved and all previous marriage enactments will be back in place.

(2) All marriages, attachments, punishments and appointments made by this Act will stand with full legal and magical authority regardless of whether the Senior-Undersecretary's review deems this Act itself no longer necessary.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Harry Potter waited patiently in his office. Since the war had ended, Harry had given up on his initial plan to become an Auror, choosing to live a safer life. With the aid of a couple of friends, old and new, he had started a new company called Marauder Enterprises with offices in muggle Mayfair.

"Harry, you have a visitor," his secretary called out. "Your eleven o clock is here."

"Thanks, Penny," said Harry, with a smile. "Please show Draco inside."

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's strange friendship had come as a surprise to everyone. Few knew that Draco Malfoy had risked death by defying Lord Voldemort towards the end of the battle and that Narcissa Malfoy had saved Harry's life by lying to the Dark Lord. A few months after the final battle, Lucius Malfoy had been murdered by a Muggle-Born ruffian, who expected to be treated like a hero for his act. Harry had turned up for the funeral but had been surprised to see that he was the only person there other than Narcissa and Draco. He offered to buy Draco a drink after the ceremony and that started their friendship, which was only cemented further as the months went by.

"Can I offer you a drink?" asked Harry when Draco walked in with his trademark aristocratic gait.

"Not now, thanks," said Draco. "We are late for our appointment with the Ministry."

"Kingsley will wait," said Harry, firmly. "We need to discuss exactly what we want before we go to the Ministry."

Draco took a seat and motioned for Harry to continue.

"Black Capital," said Harry. "A second option of banking services in the magical world, run purely by humans, with links in the magical and muggle world, owned one-third by the House of Black, one-third by the House of Malfoy and one-third by Marauder Enterprises, essentially giving me controlling power but day to day operational work will be yours. Are we on the same page?"

Draco nodded slowly. "Essentially, yes. Personally, I would like to focus more on investment banking and prop trading activities rather than consumer banking, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to offer a wider range of services."

Harry shrugged. "You will be the CEO, Draco. You can run the bank in whatever manner you want, as long as you get your plans approved by the board prior to execution. I am afraid Kingsley Shacklebolt's main concern would be the goblins' reaction to competition."

Draco sneered. "Those filthy creatures have far too much power over our economy," he said. "Even the Ministry must see that Black Capital is the best thing that could happen to the magical economy."

"They are a known commodity," said Harry. "WIzardkind has used Gringotts for centuries to keep their gold safe. I think that's what makes it so appealing. Most wizards wouldn't want to take their gold outside the safety of Gringotts. The Ministry recognises that and will wonder whether our involvement would just be a pointless move that antagonises the goblins."

"That is precisely why I want to begin operations as a merchant bank with a prop trading desk," said Draco. "We could eventually expand to offer consumer banking services but it won't happen overnight. Perhaps, we could just sell the merchant banking idea for now and the Ministry will be able to appease the goblins accordingly."

Harry nodded. "That's a good idea. We will start as a merchant bank and trading desk and branch into consumer banking later. Good, that's one issue resolved. Next, the founding board of directors will include the two of us but we should get at least one more person involved."

"My mother?" asked Draco, curiously.

Harry reflected on the suggestion for a moment. "That's a good idea. We should also get Andromeda Tonks involved to show the full support of the House of Black. She would also be a good choice as an unbiased chairperson as she's the only one in the board without equity stake."

Draco nodded to show his agreement. "Shall we proceed to the Ministry of Magic? I have some other business there as well."

"Oh?" said Harry, curiously.

"This new marriage law," Draco stated plainly. "I would like to speak to someone at the Department of Marriage to ensure I am not unfairly given a lower desirability rating due to rumours and gossips about my family."

Harry nodded indifferently. "We can talk to them together. My presence will lend some weight to your argument."

Draco looked at Harry gratefully. "Thanks, Scarhead."

Harry chuckled. He pressed a button on his phone and said, "Penny, I am going to the Ministry of Magic and won't be coming back to office today. Take rest of the day off."

"Tell me again," said Draco. "Why does a former healer at St Mungo's work as your personal secretary?"

"Because I pay her more," said Harry. "Besides, with my track record, it is always good to have a healer or two around."

The meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt was brief and filled with veiled hints that the Auror Department would love to have Harry with them, whilst several suspicious remarks were thrown at Draco Malfoy. Harry, however, kept the meeting brief and to the point. Once finished, he followed Draco to the newly established Department of Marriage.

_Co-Director Amelia Bones (Director, Department of Magical Law Enforcement)_

_Co-Director Ludo Bagman (Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic)_

"Bagman's back?" Harry muttered in surprise.

"Yes," said Draco. "He came out of hiding once the war ended. He managed to clear his debt with the goblins with a considerably higher interest than what the goblins demanded."

"Interesting," said Harry.

"Not really," drawled Draco. "I gave him the gold."

Harry shook his head. Malfoys would never change. He knocked on the door and walked in. To his surprise, Ludo Bagman wasn't inside. Only Amelia Bones was there. He noted Draco looked disappointed.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" asked Amelia Bones tiredly.

Draco took charge. "Madam Bones, it is a pleasure to see you. It's been too long."

Harry could swear he heard the older woman mutter 'not long enough' under her breath so he reached forward and shook hands with her. "Perhaps, we came at a bad time? We just wanted to have a quick word with you in relation to the Marriage Act and see how it would impact us."

Amelia sighed. "Come with me," she said, leading them through a door to the inner office. There were four people working inside. Harry recognised Mandy Brocklehurst, a Ravenclaw student from his year, as one of them. He waved at her with a smile. "This is the Marriage Registry, where my people will keep detailed records of every witch and wizard affected by this law. Mandy, Joy, can one of you get me the records of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?"

Harry took a sheet of paper from Amelia with increasing curiosity.

**Name: **Harry James Potter  
**Date of birth: **31 July 1980 (21 years)  
**Blood Status: **Half-Blood  
**Desirability Status (ratings out of 100):** Gold-Plus (100)  
**Titles (Consort cap):** Potter, Black, Gaunt (3)  
**Concubine cap: **7

**Wife: **none  
**Consorts: **none  
**Concubines: **none  
**Section 6 claims pending: **none  
**Section 6 claims successful: **none

"The record is self-updating," said Amelia Bones. "You may keep this copy. We have worked out a system in which only those wizards with Silver or higher status will be allowed to make Section 6 Claims and only wizards with Gold or higher status will be allowed to have concubines, and even then, subject to a cap."

"How is this cap determined?" asked Draco. "I notice that my concubine cap is two whereas Harry's is seven."

"Mr Malfoy," Amelia began sharply, "you should consider yourself lucky not to receive a Black or Undesirable status. It is only Harry Potter's support and close ties with you that has erased the black mark from your history." Draco flushed. "The concubine cap is worked out by a complex formula designed by my Desirability Ratings Division. Other than Harry Potter, no other wizard has a concubine cap higher than two."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Your contributions completely outclass those of your contemporaries," said Amelia. "We had no choice but to put you on a level by yourself."

"Thanks," Harry said. "I understand this cannot be an easy time for you in the office."

Amelia smiled at him. "Fortunately, I am too old to be caught by this act, but I believe the coming days will see a very unique and trying time for magical Britain." She led them back to her outer office. "Please take a seat. I have an offer for both of you."

Harry sat down and accepted a cup of tea brought by a House-Elf. He waited patiently for Amelia Bones to continue speaking.

"I will be honest with you two," she said. "There are only about a dozen wizards in your age group with Gold ratings. You will understand my desire to quickly form an alliance for my niece Susan."

Harry's eyes widened and he turned to Draco, who raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"As a Half-Blood, my niece may marry a Pureblood or another Half-Blood wizard," said Amelia. "Both of you fit the requirement. I was planning to send letters to all Gold rated Pureblood and Half-Blood wizards after finishing work today but providence has allowed for this meeting to happen."

"Madam Bones," Draco began suavely, "I am flattered that you would consider the House of Malfoy as an appropriate match for your niece. However, I am afraid my mother has already entered into a betrothal arrangement with the House of Greengrass."

"Have any vows been taken already?" asked Amelia curiously.

Draco shook his head.

"Then, I am afraid you waited too long," sighed Amelia. "It does not give me any pleasure to inform you that as of this morning, marriage between Purebloods is no longer legal."

Draco looked outraged.

"You may, however, appeal to the Marriage Tribunal to consider your situation and make an exception," said Amelia.

"Then, please could you direct me to the Marriage Tribunal at once," said Draco haughtily. "My mother has given her word and a Malfoy's word is worth gold."

"That brings me to my second request. The Tribunal has not been established as yet," said Amelia, sounding very tired. "Mr Potter, I would like to nominate you as a member of the Marriage Tribunal. Would you be willing to take this responsibility?"

Harry was stunned. "What makes you think I would make a good choice?"

"People admire you," said Amelia, without mincing words. "This Marriage Act will create a lot of tension. Having you in the Tribunal looking after the interests of the poor witches would give people more hope. You do not have to accept it but there will be many benefits attached to the position."

"Such as?" asked Harry.

"All five members of the Tribunal will be at the same rank as a director," said Amelia Bones. "You will receive the same salary, position and status as someone like me, including a seat in the Wizengamot. Furthermore, you will have a voice in the Department of Marriage, which could only be useful should you intend to make full use of this Act to your advantage. Finally, you will be able to assist Mr Malfoy in his hearing to marry a Pureblood witch."

Harry knew she had him. He sighed. "Who else will be in the Tribunal? How much work will it involve? I don't have a whole lot of free time these days."

"So far, confirmed members of the Tribunal include Filius Flitwick and Augusta Longbottom. We have not filled the other positions yet. Three members of the pool of five will form the Tribunal and will only be working on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so you will only be expected to work one day at most every week. If you wish to work on both days, that should be fine as well."

Harry thought about it for a moment. He knew Marauder Enterprises was going to keep him very busy but this seemed like a decent and easy of gaining some political influence that could help him in his other pursuits. After a few moments, Harry said, "I accept on one condition."

Amelia motioned for him to continue.

"You will get the Minister of Magic off my case," said Harry. "His attempts at getting me to join the Auror Department are beginning to get very annoying."

Amelia smiled. "A member of the Tribunal is not allowed to have any other ties to the Ministry of Magic. Your condition will be self-fulfilling."

"Oh," Harry smiled back in relief. "And about your offer concerning Susan, would you allow me some time to think things through? This Act has come as a surprise."

"To all of us," said Amelia. "Very well, I will contact you formally in a week. We are delaying the implementation of the Section 6 Claims until Christmas but I am expected to lead by example and will have to find a match for Susan relatively quickly."

On that note, Harry and Draco left the Ministry of Magic. Harry took his leave from Draco and went to visit another close friend for dinner. He waved at Neville, who was waiting for Harry by the bar in a busy Japanese restaurant. Harry's friendship with Neville had strengthened at roughly the same time as his friendship with Draco. Neville had played as brave a part as Harry in the final battle, and Harry found himself spending a lot of time with Neville in the following weeks dealing with the press, Ministry officials and other annoying things.

"Harry, my friend," Neville called out joyfully. "Come, our table is ready."

"How's Auror training?" asked Harry curiously.

Neville made a face. "Gawain Robards has a sadistic streak. I swear I have never felt my body ache as much as it did after training yesterday. A few more months and I'll be done with training." He smiled. "You would be surprised to hear that Colin Creevey has finished first phase of Auror training early. I can't wait to have another familiar face with me."

Harry was surprised to hear that. The civil war had transformed a large number of his schoolmates into warriors. "What about Ron?" he asked tightly, trying to hold back his emotions.

Neville's eyes raged for a moment with an intensity that surprised Harry. "Ronald Weasley is treading on very thin ice at the moment. He took it as a personal affront when Gawain Robards put me on the fast-track last year. He has been badmouthing me and spreading some very nasty rumours."

Harry sighed. "Typical Ron. He really needs to grow up. Have you been in touch with the other Weasleys? Hermione?"

"I bumped into Hermione today," said Neville. "She seemed all ready to start a campaign against this new Marriage Act and wanted my support. She wanted the House of Longbottom to champion the fight on her behalf in the Wizengamot."

"What did you tell her?" asked Harry.

"I told her she was welcome to speak to Lady Augusta Longbottom, if she desired, since she holds all the political power of House Longbottom currently," said Neville, with a grin. "My grandmother will crucify her."

"Oh, she's accepted a position in the Marriage Tribunal," said Harry. "I was offered one as well and have accepted."

Neville's eyes flashed with excitement. "That's great. I will see a bit more of you around the Ministry then?"

"Perhaps," said Harry. "So, Neville, what do you think about this Act?"

Neville shrugged. "It seems a bit barbaric but it's what we have now. We did fight Voldemort for liberty and democracy and this is what our elected representatives have given us. Mind you, I am not certain I completely disapprove. If their fears about the extinction of magical Britain are true, then perhaps such extreme measures are warranted. What do you think?"

"Much the same," agreed Harry. "It's come at an annoying time, though. I don't think I am ready for marriage yet, but this Act forces our hand. If we don't marry someone we like soon, then they will no longer be available."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" asked Neville. "Ginny?"

Harry turned his head away. "I don't know." After a moment, he added, "I am still crazy about her but she doesn't feel the same way about me."

"How do you know that?" asked Neville.

"She didn't want to get together after the battle and said I blew my chances," said Harry. "I heard she was dating someone else."

"By Merlin," Neville muttered. "Just how many boyfriends has that girl had already?"

Harry smiled ruefully. "Amelia Bones suggested an arrangement with her niece Susan. Do you remember much of her?"

"Very well," said Neville. "She was one of the best in the DA in that year when you didn't come to Hogwarts. She stood up to the Carrows and Snape even more strongly than I did. I think she was studying to become a healer." He smiled teasingly. "And a real looker, as well."

"Excellent," said Harry. "You sold it to me with the healer bit. What could be better than to have a wife who can heal my injuries?"

"Harry," Neville began slowly.

"Merlin's hairy arse," Harry sighed, correctly detecting the tone of Neville's voice. "Now what Pureblood tradition am I shitting over?"

He grinned back. "When a Pureblood has multiple titles like you do, under the old laws which have been brought back, you do not take a wife at first. You take consorts to each title. It is expected that you show favour to our most preferred consort by elevating her to the status of wife."

"What is the difference between a wife and a consort?" asked Harry.

"Well, the Lady Consort to Lord Potter would only have access to the Potter estates and vaults as will any children you have with her," said Neville. "She will be called Lady Potter and your children with her will have the Potter surname. On the other hand, the Lady Consort to Lord Black would have access to the Black estates and vaults, and she as well as her children will be called Lady Black or Lady Potter-Black, as per your choice. Socially, they will have the same status. The person you elevate to the status of wife will only have a small social status advantage. She will be the chief consort, so to speak. How many titles do you have again?"

"Three," said Harry. "Potter, Black and Gaunt." He rubbed his forehead. "So, that's three consorts. I guess I should divide my income and estates equally between all three titles."

"No, don't," said Neville. "I would suggest you keep Potter your primary and most important title, then Black, and finally Gaunt should be a very minor title. That way, you show special favour to someone when you align with them in your capacity as Lord Potter instead of Lord Potter-Gaunt."

Harry nodded. "Thanks," he said. "I would be so lost without you and Draco. The Weasleys and Dumbledore did so little to prepare me for the real world."

Neville waved his gratitude aside. "I am seeing Hannah's parents tomorrow and will officially ask for her hand in marriage."

"Good luck," said Harry. "I think this merits some champagne." He called a waiter and ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate Neville's good news.

After finishing half a bottle and dinner, Neville slumped back on his chair and sighed in content. "Life is good," he declared.

Harry raised a glass to echo that sentiment, trying not to think that just about three years ago he had almost committed suicide after the Weasleys and Hermione had more or less abandoned him following the battle of Hogwarts. Things had changed. He had matured and had good friends – not the kind who only wanted to jump on his wings chasing adventure after adventure, but the kind who would stay with him once the adventures had finished and they had to pick up the shattered pieces.

The next morning, Harry was having breakfast in Grimmauld Place when Kreacher suddenly appeared in front of him with an alarmed look on his face.

"Master!" Kreacher cried out in alarm. "The house is under attack!"

Harry immediately whipped out his wand. "Who? Where?"

Kreacher threw a terrified look at the window and pointed outside. Harry followed Kreacher's gaze and, after a moment, burst out laughing. About a dozen owls were racing towards Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

"Kreacher, refine the mail wards," said Harry. "Permit access to only one owl at a time. No waiting time. They deliver and depart."

In minutes, Harry was rubbing his forehead woefully. Most of the letters seemed to be marriage offers. And more than one of them had some sort of magic in them – compulsion charms, Amortentia soaked parchment…

"Kreacher, please could you fetch my dragonhide gloves?" asked Harry and he started reading.

1. A letter from Lady Chang informing Harry that he had been chosen as the lucky wizard for her daughter Cho and commanding his presence at their homestead by nightfall.

2. A letter from Mr Patil requesting a meeting to discuss a betrothal between Harry and one of his daughters.

3. A letter from Mr Vane offering his daughter as Harry's wife, together with some very provocative pictures of Romilda Vane, which no father should have access to.

4. An official letter from Amelia Bones setting out her marriage offer and requesting a meeting at his earliest convenience.

5. A letter from Molly Weasley completely drenched in highly potent Amortentia requesting Harry to forgive her children for how they treated him and rescue Ginny from this monstrous marriage law.

6. Four letters from witches he didn't know who were in their mid-thirties, all of them sent him naked pictures of themselves. Harry wondered if they planned this as a group.

7. A letter from Lord Parkinson offering his sister Pansy as a concubine for a modest bride-price of half a million galleons, with a strong compulsion charm on it.

8. A letter from Lord Greengrass requesting a meeting to consider an alliance between the House of Greengrass and the House of Potter.

9. A letter from Hermione Granger requesting a meeting to discuss the best way to fight this new menace and evil, the Marriage Act.

Harry put aside the letters for the time being and got ready for work. Although he was taking a passive role in the affairs of Black Capital, he had a lot of other ventures to look after under Marauder Enterprises. Within an hour, Harry was in his Mayfair office wearing a crisp black suit, white shirt and maroon tie.

Penelope Clearwater entered his office with an amused look on her face. "Harry, we have a problem."

"What?" asked Harry.

Penelope pointed to the window and Harry groaned in horror as he saw an army of owls waiting for him. "The owls are attracting attention from the muggles. Do you want me to deal with the mail?" she asked. "I'll make a list of what each is about… only if you are sure they aren't private."

"No, nothing private," Harry said. "Yes, I would appreciate that but wait until my House-Elf brings you my dragonhide globes. Don't touch anything with your bare hands. Is my ten o clock here, Penny?"

"He's in the reception," said Penny. "I will send him in and deal with the owls."

"You're a life-saver!" Harry yelled out as she shut the door with a chuckle. He waited patiently until his guest entered the room.

"Good morning, Mr Potter."

"Good morning, Lysander," said Harry. "Please take a seat. Thank you for coming."

"Thank you, Mr Potter, for everything you have done for me and my kind," said the tall man with greying hair. "The First Moony Shelter has been a resounding success so far. Seven new werewolves joined us for the last full moon. Two of them were curious whether similar arrangements could be made for them as for my family."

Harry sighed. "In time, I hope so. I am still looking for other locations that meet our requirements to form a Moony Shelter. Tell me more about what's going on at your place, Lysander."

"My family of ten werewolves runs the shelter like an inn and a potions workshop," said Lysander. "During non-full moon nights, we spend our efforts in making commercial grade potions including the Wolfsbane Potion, the Dreamless Sleep Potion and the Instant Hangover Cure. We keep the Wolfsbane but sell the others making just about enough money to run the establishment. During full moon nights, we offer free lodgings and Wolfsbane Potion to any werewolf who comes to us. We spend the night holding various fun activities to keep us all occupied. We ask only those werewolves who are able to spend a day without losing their jobs to help us, no more than one day for every full moon they spend with us, to help us with making the potions."

"You haven't made any request for more gold this month," Harry remarked. "Are you doing okay? I don't want you to starve yourselves or think you are being a burden."

"We are a burden," Lysander said darkly, but he softened his expression when he turned to face Harry. "However, you have given us the means to live our lives with pride. I will admit that we aren't living a life of plenty but we aren't starving either. We will make do with this, Mr Potter, you have already done so much for us."

Harry shook his head. "Lysander, you do not understand. I don't want you to just get by. The Moony Shelter is not just a boon to your family. It is my first experiment in making a viable self-sufficient community of werewolves who do not have to live in hardship. If you need more gold to begin with, please say so. I am fully confident that in time your family will start making higher profits with your potions business. One-third of the profits will come to Marauder Enterprises, so you could say I have a financial motive as well in your wellbeing."

Lysander smiled, knowing full well that Harry was not driven by any financial motives. "I will take some more gold then," he relented. "We could do with two more cauldrons and some more ingredients. One of our werewolf residents helped us plant some of the herbs and we hope that within a year, we will be producing most of our own ingredients, but we could do with some books to tell us how best to look after the herbs."

"How about the wards?" asked Harry. "I know you all take Wolfsbane Potion, but is the security up to mark?"

Lysander nodded. "One of my family members graduated from Hogwarts and worked as a Curse Breaker for a year before being bitten. He checks the wards before and after every full moon."

"Excellent," said Harry. "Please, Lysander, if you need anything – gold, ingredients, books, manpower, just let me know. I want this to work out." He paused. "I will let you know as soon as I locate a property that is large enough to serve as the Second Moony Shelter. Tell the werewolves we are working on it but progress is slow as already I am facing a lot of Ministry pressure."

Lysander the werewolf stood up and saluted Harry. "Harry Potter, you are already known as a great wizard, but to werewolves, there has been none greater in all of history."

When the werewolf had left, Harry leaned back and reflected on everything that he had achieved in the past two years since he had broken all ties with his former friends and started his alliance with Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom. This came at a time when the Ministry of Magic had awarded Harry with the vaults and estates of all Death Eater families that had died out. It was a propaganda move to show the public that the Ministry was rewarding their saviour and compensating him for all his ordeals caused directly and indirectly by the Ministry. Harry hadn't known what to do with the money and was seriously considering giving it all away to charity when Draco Malfoy told Harry that he could make better use of the gold by actively managing it himself. Marauder Enterprises was born out of a conversation in a pub along with several pints of lager.

Harry looked at one of the walls on his office which showed the various entities that together made up Marauder Enterprises. The Moony Initiative was one, which looked at a series of projects aimed at making life better for werewolves. The First Moony Shelter was a direct consequence of this initiative.

The Prongs Investment Fund was the second entity. This was a fund that invested a billion galleons in muggle and magical companies and real estate. One third of the profits went to the Potter vault; another third went to Marauder Enterprises for its operations. And the final third went to the Lily Potter Foundation.

The Lily Potter Foundation was an umbrella entity for a number of projects aimed at Muggle-Borns ranging from scholarships to job opportunities. The latest development was a group of Muggle-Borns who wished to make experiments merging technology with magic to make new inventions. This was yet another area where the Ministry of Magic was not too happy with Marauder Enterprises and raids from the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office were quite common, leading to a very antagonistic relationship between Harry and Arthur Weasley.

Black Capital was the latest idea, which Harry was implementing together with Draco Malfoy. Personally, Harry was just doing it to make use of some of the Black gold that was gathering dust.

Harry had many other ideas but he knew better than to overexpose himself. Once the current projects didn't require too much involvement on his part, he would move on to other ideas. For the time being, he was quite occupied. He knew he could hire staff to do a lot of the work he was doing but it gave him a feeling of pride to actually be doing the ground work. Currently, he was reading the latest scholarship applications by Muggle-Borns. His scholarship was on a needs-basis from families who could not afford to send their children for an expensive education in a world they could barely comprehend or even believe.

Only six Muggle-Borns were joining Hogwarts that year and four of them from well to do families, as his investigators determined. He crossed of those four and read the applications of the other two. One was a young kid called Mark Evans from Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry smiled, recalling the little kid from his own neighbourhood. The other application was from an orphan called Melanie Walters, whose future didn't look too bright as her foster parents were not able to afford her education in Hogwarts.

He okayed both applications and placed them on his outbox. He knew Penny would see they reached the relevant staff members who would contact the children's families with the good news.

Harry was in the middle of a yawn when Penny opened the door and marched in. Harry raised an eyebrow at her furious expression.

"One of the letters bit me!" she declared. "I kid you not. The parchment had a mouth and teeth and it bit my arm!" She showed a heavily bandaged arm to him.

"Oh dear," Harry sighed. "I guess I owe you a dinner for this… and a big bonus. At least, your hand wasn't damaged due to the gloves."

Penny smiled back. "Yes, a big bonus will just about make up for this." She read from a parchment. "First of all, I sorted letters according to purpose. 18 letters were proposals for marriage, 5 letters were requests for meetings with purposes undeclared, 4 letters were a call to arms to fight against the new evil Wizengamot which enslaves witches and 1 letter is from your old friend Ronald Weasley. That's the one which bit my hand."

"What did Ron have to say?" asked Harry.

"He was under the impression that both of you received Undesirable Ratings due to your fault," said Penny. "Something to do with second year, flying car… I sort of remember some commotion but don't think I ever knew what happened back then."

"The barrier to the platform was closed," Harry explained. "Ron suggested we take his father's flying car. He drove us to Hogwarts without putting on the invisibility lever."

"Ah, that explains it. I believe he received a black mark on his record for that incident. A passenger cannot be blamed for the actions of the driver, so you escaped unscathed; although, I would assume your other activities would have cleared your record anyway."

Harry, however, focused on another point. "So, Ron has received an Undesirable Rating. That's interesting. He's going to have some trouble getting married to his sweetheart Hermione."

Penny shrugged. "Of the 18 marriage proposals, 11 were from witches over the age of 30."

"Burn them," said Harry. "I'm a decade younger than them. What's wrong with these people?"

"Well, I guess they're just making a punt," said Penny. "Four letters were in relation to girls under the age of 16."

Harry shook his head in disgust.

"The remaining three were from Lady Carrow, Lord Bulstrode and Mr Brown." She paused. "The letter from Lord Bulstrode appears to have some very powerful dark magic on it. Thanks for your gloves, by the way. I have placed that letter inside a wooden box for now."

"Excellent," said Harry. "I will have my resident dark arts expert examine it." He clapped his hand. "Kreacher," he called and the House-Elf appeared in a flash. "Penny will give you a box which contains a letter with some powerful dark magic. I want you to examine it without triggering the magic and tell me what it does."

Kreacher grunted for a moment and then sniffed the air. "Kreacher can smell the blood magic. Show me the letter now and I should be able to tell you exactly what it does." After a few minutes, Kreacher nodded with almost an approving look on his face. "This letter uses a powerful binding magic. By merely touching the letter, one will have magically bound himself to the terms and conditions inside."

"What?" Harry demanded. "How can such magic exist?"

Kreacher sniffed. "Master should read 'The Art of Contracts' by Arcturus Black. A contract need not require the willing consent of the second party as long as the first party makes the terms fair and seals it with a blood sacrifice of the one who witnessed and agrees with the contract."

"Penny, did you read the letter?" asked Harry.

"Yes," said Penny, shocked by the effect of the letter. "The letter was a contract between the House of Bulstrode and the Holder of the Letter wherein the Holder of the Letter agreed to marry Milicent Bulstrode for a dowry of 100,000 galleons to be paid by her father. You would agree to treat Milicent with respect and never deny her sex; in return, she would do the same. A fair contract, one would say."

"But sealed by a blood sacrifice. I think I read an obituary for Lady Bulstrode," Harry said in disgust. "Keep it in that wooden box. Kreacher, take the box home and keep it somewhere safe where no one would accidentally touch it."

Once Kreacher had left, Penny continued. "Lady Carrow wished to offer you either or both of her twin nieces in exchange for a bridal price of 250,000 galleons apiece."

"Dowries and bridal prices… These Purebloods," Harry snorted in disgust. "Poor girls, I may not do this but I guess there's someone out there who would jump on such an offer."

Penny nodded morosely as well. "Mr Brown wanted to discuss an arrangement between you and his daughter Lavender."

Harry shook his head. "She was with Ron."

"And I was with Percy," Penny said dangerously. "Don't judge the poor girl in such a manner. It is beneath you, Harry."

Harry raised his hand, admitting defeat. "I am sorry, I didn't mean it. There's too much bad blood between me and Ron now."

"Very well," said Penny. After a moment, she smiled. "So that dinner, you mentioned…"

Harry's eyes lit up. "Indian?"

"Not this time," said Penny. "There's this fancy new Gordon Ramsay restaurant in town. Shall I make a reservation?"

Harry nodded.


End file.
